Is it by Divine grace few pass through life
Eluding pain, with scarce a trace of strife,
While others are slaughtered by Fate's sharp knife?
How the tears fall as misery runs rife!

When the tattered flags of war are unfurled,
With every bullet and bomb that is hurled,
When on battlefields, blood and soil are swirled,
I cry for the wickedness in this world

I feel the woes of each abandoned heart
As the barbs of loneliness sting and smart;
And while Destiny play its chosen part,
Helplessly I watch, and then the tears start

I cry for the pain of each living thing,
The warbler that struggles, but cannot sing,
A queen's bittersweet reign without her king;
And yet, what benefit do such tears bring?

Though vague longings stir when evening is nigh,
We're condemned to sorrow, my heart and I;
Then dread overtakes, and O, how I cry,
Yearning for the love Fate chose to deny

Wasted tears, why do you fall from my eyes?
Just force of habit, I must surmise,
As Life delivers what Hell ratifies . . .
Pain and wasted tears . . . in endless supplies

Life is not perfect, it has its flaws,
And flows with restricted efficiency;
Once in a while, it will bend the laws
To compensate for some deficiency

At times, Life will send torments our way,
(For which it should humbly beg our pardon)
Gladly we forgive such vile display
When we find love growing in our garden

We dance to some unknown rhapsody,
While Life's hands are positioned on the keys;
We think we compose the melody,
But Life will play only what it shall please

Life is a gamble we seldom win,
Though we have no choice but to play the game,
The cards are dealt, the wheel starts to spin .....
Will triumph be ours, or a loser's shame?

Dubious is the motive for this game,
Yet, we follow the rules most ardently;
Always seeking the elusive flame
That reveals the purpose of you and me

In darkness, we blindly tread thin ice,
Where underneath a rough sea is churning;
Though our instinct murmurs sound advice,
The ***** of hope nurses our yearning

Know this!  God's secrets will not be learned,
Though foolish hearts beseech the realm above;
But when the last page of Life is turned,
We'll find all that really mattered was Love!

I've grown accustomed to Earth pulling at my chain,
Seldom have I questioned the laws that restrict me;
Yet, for adverse reasons that no one can explain,
On some unknown date Death will come to evict me

I'll object, maybe even kicking and screaming,
When I'm told that it's time for me to move along;
For what purpose was all my planning and dreaming,
And all the knowledge I gathered from Nature's song?

I watched Time flowing at its pre-determined pace,
Believing in the promises of tomorrow;
Though at times quite overwhelmed, I ran a good race,
And kept the faith amidst challenges and sorrow

Now I'm being warned the day of transfer is nigh.
How can I leave all the wondrous things I have seen:
The ever-changing blues of the sea and the sky,
Earth's velvet mantle in its many shades of green?

Mesmerized I've stood watching the tide's ebbs and flows,
It was the blackest seas that reflected the stars;
And when held captive by loneliness and its woes,
Love sent its brightest rays through my heart's prison bars

So familiar with this Earthly home have I grown,
How can I leave all I love so far behind me?
Catapulted to some distant orbit unknown,
I wonder, will memories of Earth still bind me?

Will I miss morning's dew sating the thirsty rose,
Or a sudden winter's gale, blowing wild and rough?
I've had my share of anguish and pain, Heaven knows,
But my deepest regret:  I was not loved enough!

The sweetest mystery of life --
This glorious madness called Love,
Formed and nurtured by the mind of God,
A rare gift born of Heaven above

Softly, its essence rides the wind,
Satisfying a primal need;
Love's rare scent causes delirium,
Yet we inhale it with anxious greed

Love provides the strength to surmount
Life's hurdles, to climb each mountain;
When the sands of longing parch our throats,
In our desert there springs a fountain

We hear Love's whisper in the dark,
Then one tender kiss kindles the flame;
Suddenly the fire's out of control --
The raging beast is no longer tame

Love is a baffling mystery,
Who can interpret the spell it weaves?
How great is the joy when it arrives,
But what burning torment when it leaves!

Only Love can inspire the poet
To relay what our hearts cannot tell:
Through Love we're shown a glimpse of Heaven,
Without Love, we get a taste of Hell

Love drinks our tears, changing them to wine,
In darkest hours, Love intercedes;
Love assaults the tree of loneliness,
Destroying the root, crushing the seeds

Love affords us the will to endure
Failure of our ill-conceived schemes;
Love is the calm that follows the storm,
Love is the fulfillment of our dreams

Love is the proof we are still alive,
For no spirit could feel Love's fire;
Though we declare Love with our last breath,
The grave silences mortal desire

What force gives meaning to our lives,
Our mettle when push comes to shove?
What helps us endure life's cruelest pain?
This divine blessing that we call Love!

Her poems paint a self-portrait
Of a face she hides from the world;
Secrets well-guarded, slowly revealed,
Each line a new chapter unfurled

Every word that drips from her pen
Is likened to paint on the knife;
From sunlit paths that lead to dark caves,
She paints the story of her life

Stroke after stroke the words are placed
Upon the warped canvas of time;
The torment that each lonely day brings
Urges her to dress it in rhyme

Are lonely days not punishment
Enough for this painter of verse?
Yet, night only grants her fitful sleep
As her woes refuse to disperse

O, painter of a thousand words,
Your cruel fate has taken its toll,
Leaving you to walk this Earth alone
With weary heart and sick of soul

With open eyes she lays dreaming
Of the day love will grace each dawn;
Little does she know her fate is sealed:
Long ago her portrait was drawn

Why does the abandoned heart keep loving,
Though there is no love being returned?
Because it was taught love is forever,
And love's lessons cannot be unlearned

Why does the abandoned heart keep beating,
Sustained only by a memory?
Because it must believe love will return,
And will wait forever, if need be

Why does the abandoned heart still insist
None but this love will ever suffice?
Because only this love carries the key
That unlocks the gate to paradise

The threads of love are on the loom --
I'll weave a dream for you;
All the pain that swells your heart
Will soon be out of view

Drift away on the gentle waves
Of Fantasy's deep stream;
I'll stay close by, guiding you
Through this enchanted dream

Our two hearts, chained to loneliness,
Offered a fervent prayer,
Unaware our utterance
Stirred and startled the air

Now our love shines bright as the sun,
Although the world be dark;
Meagre are the moon and stars,
Life itself, but a spark

Though confined to  love's gilded cage,
We've no cause for despair;
Our hearts soar on wings of joy,
For Heaven heard our prayer

Two hearts sing in an unknown tongue,
(Love's language has no name)
While the blessed words pour forth,
Our love kindles the flame

Every night, I weave the same dream ....
What could be more divine
Than love's first embrace and kiss,
When your hand first held mine?

Dearest love, as this dream unfolds,
Cherish the things you see;
They're held captive  by  the  night .....
But dawn will set them free!